Amazing, unforgettable Sandwich Harbor private tour
Sandwich Harbor is the star attraction of Walvis Bay. Everything about it is as awesome as you read about in the reviews. From start to finish you will be entertained and amazed at the variety of wildlife and scenery.
A private tour is the best way to experience Sandwich Harbor. The trip is customized to your comfort level with various tracks in the sand to choose from and plenty of opportunities to photograph everything. Sandwich Harbor you will just have to see to believe. Your photos will be the envy of your friends because the subject material is unavailable anywhere else. Read on for a detailed description, and enjoy the photos.
Tidal Access 
Flamingo in wetlands 
Hut buried on beach
Walvis Bay and Wetlands
Your tour to private Sandwich Harbor starts with the Walvis Bay lagoon. The lagoon and surrounding wetlands is a RAMSAR site, and is teeming with protected wildlife. You can get really close to the Flamingo at the lagoon to take some stunning pictures. With a bit of luck, you will also see the Great White Pelican, as they are frequently spotted at the lagoon as well. The weather is usually quite nice in the mornings, leading to glassy seas and good reflections, as demonstrated with the photo above. As your tour is private, take as long as you want.
Situated in the wetlands, just South of Walvis Bay is the Walvis Bay Salt Holdings processing plant. The process by which the salt is extracted leads to the sea water turning bright pink due to the high concentration of micro-organisms naturally found in the ocean. You will have a good opportunity to take some awesome shots of this phenomenon when you stand on top of the dune neighboring the processing plant. The regular shapes of the pans and pink water make for some very striking subjects.
You will see the pink water and salt crystals up close at the salt pans, on the way to the ocean. The salt pans are also home to a respectable array of bird species, including Lesser and Greater Flamingo, Great White Pelican, Heron/Egret, Mallard Duck and many more smaller species.
Namib Naukluft park
Sandwich harbor is situated in the Namib-Naukluft park. You will cross the border about halfway down to Sandwich Harbor. With roughly 60km to travel between Sandwich Harbor and Walvis Bay there will be plenty of opportunity to photograph the changing landscapes. All along the beach and mudflats there is a chance to see Cape Fur Seals and Black Backed Jackal. There is much more to see, with plenty of stops for as long as you want at anything you find interesting.
The small rounded dunes along the way are caused by a shrub (Salsola Nollothensis) growing in them. Your private guide will show all the interesting bits along the way, and stop for as many photos as you want.
Access to Sandwich Harbor
Access to Sandwich harbor is tidal, in that the last five kilometers the dunes and the ocean meet, one can only drive in between the high and low water marks. It is of course best to pick a time for your tour that coincides with a tide low enough to enter. There are tide tables and expert help available.
The dunes here are truly impressive with beautiful textures and colors. In some areas there is a purple sand that is made up of garnets. The mud in the picture above is slowly breaking up, and makes for an interesting experience when entering this area.
Sandwich Harbor
The harbor itself has beautiful wetlands consisting of two lagoons where many bird species are found. Photographic opportunities here are spectacular. The wetlands are untouched nature, and the dunes magnificent. Over the years this landscape has changed quite a bit, and even today the dunes are never quite in exactly the same place. You have the opportunity to go up the dunes for a better lookout over the harbor and the dunes around. If you want a lift up to the lookout for a better view, or a little deeper into the dunes just ask.
Should mother nature play along, this is where the pick nick is served. There is nothing quite like soaking in the view with real peace and quiet. Access to the lagoon area is prohibited by vehicle, but you are welcome to take a stroll in these wetlands. Your private guide will come along if you want.
Fauna & Flora
The return journey usually has a bit of extra time to look around. As this is a nature park, there is a fair amount of wildlife. Regularly spotted is Springbuck, Ostrich, Oryx and black backed jackal. Two plant species of note in this area are the !Nara and the Herero Caper Bush.
To access the most interesting wildlife, we have to do a little dune driving. Your guide is an expert in driving in sand, and will make the journey safe and relaxing. Unless you want to go slide down a massive dune’s slip face just for fun. You can have as much or as little excitement in the dunes as you like.
Details
- Duration: 5 hours
- Activity level: Moderate to relaxed
- Self-drive option is available
Inclusions
- Cool bottled mineral water, still & sparkling
- Free pickup in Walvis Bay
- Private, air conditioned transport
- Local guide
Optional Extras
- Pick up and Drop off in Swakopmund
- Pick up and Drop off in the port of Walvis Bay
- Food for the tour
- Drinks for the tour
Pickup Services
You will only get the best service at Awesome Chapters:
- Free in Walvis Bay:
- Your adventure starts at your accommodation because your private tour guide will pick you up with the tour vehicle.
- Time:
- Cruise liners:
- If you are arriving on a cruise liner, you have the option of being collected you from the ship, inside the harbor gates.
Booking – Email
If you are interested in this tour, but you would like to have a discussion with us first, you are welcome to contact us for some human interaction. The booking will be made for you with the information from our chat. We love hearing from you, so even if you do not want to book the tour, and just want some more information, you are still welcome to drop us an email.
Alternatively, drop us a line on the contact form below and we will come back to you!
A Little History
No one knows for sure where Sandwich Harbor got it’s name. Some say it’s named after the German “Sandvis” others say it is named after a ship that used it regularly. Whatever the case may be, the history of Sandwich Harbor is an interesting one.
The earliest records of this harbor is from Portuguese sailors in 1486. Of what use it was to them is pure speculation at this point. Most probably it was a safe harbor with water and food, which was desperately needed on the long journeys with the small boats of the time.
Over time the harbor was used for a variety of activities, including whaling. While the whaling activities in this area have driven the whales to near extinction, it was stopped in the 1940’s and whales have been sighted in Sandwich Harbor in recent years.
There are some records of Dutch vessels using the harbor in the 1670’s, but the natives were not too friendly to them.
In 1854 Sandwich harbor was actually the preferred harbor to Walvis Bay, and a trading post was established by a Aaron de Pass. Trade was done with the Hottentots and a regular trading service was established between Sandwich Harbor and Cape Town. De Pass’s son established a permanent trading post at Sandwich Harbor, and erected buildings for fish curing and shark liver oil was extracted.
There was also a short-lived meat factory at Sandwich Harbor. Unfortunately the first batch of meat that was canned went bad, and had to be buried.
Between the years 1904-1906 Sandwich Harbor was also used to smuggle arms for Hereros and Hottentots. Sandwich Harbor is silting up even today, and the buildings have been covered by sand.
Footnote: Much of the history of Sandwich have been gleaned out of “The History of the Port and Settlement of Walvis Bay 1878-1978” by J.J.J. Wilken and G.J. Fox